Billy and Karen Come to Timaru (But Not Together)

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The month after Easter has been spent three ways:

1. Further settling into Timaru, NZ life;
2. Touring with our first guest from home; and
3. Preparing for June back in California.

Part One:

 I am settling more into work at Timaru Hospital, which for me means getting used to the slower, more relaxed pace, focusing on self-directed study, and deciding which projects I want to initiate. For example, I have refined a few protocols for general use for heart attacks and stress tests, begun to design an audit on admissions for blood clots, and plan to survey GPs on their opinions of our services.

At home, we are getting comfortable in our new digs, and enjoying as much of the local flavor as possible. This includes seeing Scottish comedian Billy Connolly’s local performance of his current NZ tour. I couldn’t get a photo of him on stage, just one of the empty set.

The local theater is a century-old jewel, and Billy delivered an energetic and entertaining two-hour show despite recently revealing he has Parkinson ’s Disease. With a long mane of white hair and chest-long white beard, otherwise shrouded in black, he appeared as a comedic translucent spectre..

Billy Gesticulating (NZ Herald Photo)

Other local pastimes include taking in the Garden Club Fall show, tramping about through the bush, and assembling a team for Wednesday night Pub Trivia.

Bonsai Tree

A Winner!

It wouldn’t be New Zealand without rugby, and the regional professional Super Rugby lads are the Crusaders from Christchurch. A recent powerhouse (the 2014 squad not-so-much), we saw them lose to the Sharks from South Africa. The most memorable part of the program was the rousing entrance by of the costumed equestrians, looking like refugees from a Medieval Times Theater performance.   

Adding to the atmosphere is the dance squad, the Maidens, clad in pleather miniskirts, thigh-high boots, and brandishing plastic longswords, the lasses clearly did not have the benefit of dance and cheerleading training from infancy, as in the USA. To comment more would be unkind.

Team Spirit, motel-style

The Maidens (Photo-NZ Herald)

En route to the match, we passed a combination car and dog wash. Do we have these in the US?

Part Two:

We were in Christchurch to meet our old and dear friend Karen, who used her frequent flyer miles to become our first visitor this time around in NZ. Having a familiar visitor from home is an important event for me. It adds reality to this phase of our lives, living and working in New Zealand for an indefinite period, and I do hope we are here long enough for all our friends and family will be able to come and see for themselves the charms of “Middle Zealand” (as it is called in The Lego Movie).

We wanted to pack in as much as possible in the brief ten days she has here, covering ground familiar to regular blog readers. It started with a  guided tour of rebuilding Christchurch.

Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, before and after.

A visit to the Willowbank Wildlife Reserve is a convenient way to become acquainted with the local fauna.

John, Fayne, and Karen at Willowbank

Golden Pheasant

Takahe

Kunekune Pig

White-Faced Heron

Odd Duck?

We took the scenic highway back in Timaru, through the Canterbury plains skirting the edges of the Southern Alps. By chance we noticed the “Open” sign for the Topp Lodge, popped in for a coffee, and were delighted to meet Lynda Topp, one half of the Topp Twins, the iconic Kiwi comedic yodeling activist lesbian folk-singing twin sisters.

Kiwi Icon Lynda Topp(R) with another Odd Duck(L)

Karen was interested in our Timaru life, so we went by the hospital, saw the local sights, and attended the Tuesday evening dinner with my fellow Senior Medical Officers, always a convivial highlight of our week.

Lake Tekapo Panorama from Mount John Observatory and Cafe

Wednesday May 21st we took to the road to Lake Tekapo, the always commanding Aoraki/ Mt. Cook for a walk and gourmet meal and a room facing the peak.

 

Next day we drove to Queenstown via a very windy Wanaka.

Trompe l'oeil painting in bathroom of Mystery Spot-like Puzzling World in Wanaka

On to Queenstown, with its lovely view of Lake Wakatipu from the top of the gondola.

Lunchtime brought more fine food and wine at Amisfield Winery near the historic gold mining village of Arrowtown.

Fall colors in Arrowtown

Dunedin was fully booked Saturday night due to the aforementioned Crusaders invading to clash with the local Highlanders, so we detoured to Kaka Point on the Catlins Coast. Despite increasingly stormy weather, we had time to walk out to the lighthouse at Nugget Point and spy on the rare hoiho (Yellow-eyed Penguins) returning to the nest after an exhausting day of fishing.

 That left us only one night for Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula, enduring very blustery rain and snow flurries.

Larnach Castle

Monday on the drive back to Timaru we peeked in on the Moeraki Boulders and Oamaru after waiting until noon until Highway One north of Dunedin was cleared of the first big snow of the year.

Snow on the Octogon, Central Dunedin

Monday night was for final details and planning for the return home. We thought Karen should have a brief look at Auckland, so we checked into our old haunts, the Waldorf Tetra Apartments downtown. Having lived there for 5 months in 2012, we know the area well. We plan to take her by Auckland City Hospital, the Auckland Domain and Museum, the Harbour, and the Sky Tower at the very least.

Part Three: The Return Home.

The master plan for this phase of my life is to “commute” to work in New Zealand for three to four months stretches but to spend at least three month out of the year back stateside. I want to continue to play an active role in the lives of my family, maintain my cherished friendships, and manage business affairs and property, despite working in a distant land. Our itinerary is already packed, but I am anxious and enthused about returning to the Golden State on May 28. For the folks back there, I hope to see you in June!

* Candy cigarettes provided by fellow Medical Consultant Camille Hemlock